Understanding Spirituals Differently at Different Times
Given the spiritual's origins as religious-themed folksongs of the American slave population, the repertory has, in large measure, stayed constant since the Civil War. Yet the ways we have understood and performed this repertory have changed dramatically over time. Tracing this history sheds light on larger forces at play within American culture, especially issues of race.
In the large, spirituals have changed in function along the foll...
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